The Sandman

When "The Sandman" first came out on Netflix, I fell instantly and absolutely in love with everything in the series... the plot was good and strong (even innovative!), the characters were well constructed and the world was built with substance, with a lot of layers. It was indeed a breath of fresh air when it comes to fantasy series or movies that have been coming out this past few years.

The script itself, having a lot of philosophy in it, was also something that attracted me because you could tell the lines were not forced at all. Overall, the series were a 10 out of 10.

But then, season 2 came out this year.

I was excited to see again another story happen in this fantastic world that was built but then... it was just a big, huge, disappointement. The plot is going side ways with no plausible justification on why "x" thing happens in the context of the story and the characters are full with lines that dont add anything relevant and seem unnatural for a certain character to say or act that way.

To make matters worse, how does it make sense to start throwing new characters every episode just to fill holes, when they add almost nothing to the general narrative?

The ending of season 2, was the cherry on top of a badly baked cake. I mean, it just splashes on our faces that they wanted to end the series as soon as possible but didnt even bother to build something that had quality and felt like it was thought over like the first season. It really made me angry to see such good characters (and amazing actors!!!), plot and story just thrown away to the trash literally to end something fast.

It's very sad because then people wonder why we dont have any good series or films with a fresh point of view being made and coming out like we had in the 90s/2000s, for example. Write better and dont waste great potential like in "The Sandman" season 2.

I have to say I enjoyed The Sandman more than I thought I would. I have to admit I knew nothing of the comic or even heard of it so I had no expectations at all. It is definitely something different and unlike any show I've seen. The closest thing is American Gods but I stoped watching that in Season 2 as the quality of that show fell off after the first season. It has a solid 7.7 so it looks like most people seem to like it. I thought Tom Sturridge did an excellent job as the lead and Boyd Holbrook was just as good as one of the villains the of the story. The creator of the comic book (Neil Gaiman) was an executive producer so he had a big say as to where the story went and for it to stay true to the comic. I'm glad they didn't end the show on a cliffhanger and were able to give it a good solid ending.

The good: I haven't finished the comics yet but I appreciate that the show attempts to stay close to the source material. There have been a staggering number of adaptations where writers insert their own ambitions into the project and it ends up looking nothing like the original work.

I also appreciate the casting for Morpheus. The actor embodies the character beautifully and is a joy to watch.

The production quality of the show is great and I like the pacing and flow of the story.

The bad: The forced diversity is awful. It's neither subtle nor organic and as a person of colour, it seems like western media thinks diversity is just black and white. Strong, black women lecturing a god and showing the error of his ways is about as ham-fisted as it gets.

Overall, I do enjoy most of this show and I would recommend it. It's just a shame that politics would mar what could have been a great show. Alas, it's just alright.

Season 1 of the show was superb - the world building was incredible; it was complex and grand, it felt rich and full of themes, and so cleverly put together. Despite the many different aspects of the world, the core plot felt focused and all the different characters introduced had relevance that somehow fed back into it. It left me excited to see how season 2 would expand on all of it.

Except then it, kind of didn't. Season 2 wanders around aimlessly for most of it. What new elements it does introduce feel superficial and trivial, and are disposed of as quickly as they are introduced. All the energy from the characters seems to have been sucked out, like they're shells of their former selves. You find yourself wondering what the point of most of what you're watching is, and I'm afraid it never gets clearer.

Season 2 also goes very heavy with LGBT themes and diversity. Season 1 had representation in an almost seamless way that never took the spotlight from the story. Season 2's (numerous) gay relationships and trans character feel shoe-horned in and contrived, attention is purposefully directed to them yet they don't organically fit into the story and so their inclusion feels clunky, forced and jarring in a way that season 1 didn't.

Overall season 2 doesn't do enough to expand on the world built in season 1. Morpheus plods along fairly pathetically and apologetically for most of the season, and the whole season feels grounded in a way that betrays the ethereal, celestial, beings and concepts that inhabit it.

8/10 for season 1, 4/10 for season 2.

Netflix's The Sandman is a great adaptation of the original comic-books (please don't call them graphic novels, they're comics).

Sadly this adaptation also fails to deliver the most important and strikingly emotional stories from the comics. The fate of the two angels in Hell, The Inn at the end of the world, Barbie's story, and many more.

I understand they've skimmed down the story to the bare minimum and essential to tell the fate Dream. However with it, they have disregarded precisely what the comics are all about, the stories of Morpheus and his Realm.

Hopefully, somebody else will have another go in 30 years.

That been said, the cast is spectacular, the photography is beautiful, and the whole atmosphere captures perfectly the tone and feel of the original comics.

I see some reviews complain about it being slow or too elaborate, ehem, The Sandman is proper mythology and a very deep family drama, not another one of Snyder's mental puke. It actually requires you to THINK.